YOU CAN THANK CLIMATE CHANGE FOR ADDING DELICIOUS MERCURY TO YOUR SEAFOOD

GRIST

A new study suggests that increased rainfall caused by global warming could boost mercury in seafood in an unexpected way.

Here’s how it would happen: Higher rainfall and conversion of natural landscapes to farms and lawns would increase the amount of mud — including mercury and organic matter — washing into the sea. That would lead to zooplankton blooms feasting on the discharge. And that would add a new link at the bottom of the coastal food chain, carrying more biomagnified mercury to the top, where we tend to eat.

We aren’t totally helpless: There are lots of ways to prevent runoff via reforestation, preservation of wetlands, and smarter farming techniques. And around the world, countries are curtailing the sources of the toxin.